A number of people were sprayed with what is believed to be a form of pepper spray by a group of men at London‘s Heathrow Airport, the Metropolitan Police said, the BBC reported.
Five people have also been taken to hospital, the ambulance service said, with a further 16 treated at the scene.
One person has been arrested in the matter but he was not immediately identified. He remained in custody on suspicion of assault, the police said.
‘It is an isolated incident’
Police said it is an isolated incident and not related to terrorism or protest. Authorities added that the argument took place between a group of people known to each other which then escalated.
Officers were called just after 8 a.m. local time to the parking garage at the airport’s Terminal 3, where there were reports of “multiple people being assaulted,” the department said.
“A number of people were sprayed with what is believed to be a form of pepper spray by a group of men who then left the scene,” the police said.
The man who was detained, who was not immediately identified, remained in custody on suspicion of assault, the police said.
Heathrow Airport responds
Heathrow Airport said its teams are working with emergency services after an incident in the multi-storey car park at Terminal 3.
“Passengers are advised to allow extra time when travelling to the airport and to check with their airline for any queries,” Heathrow Airport said on social media.
Terminal 3 remained open, although there was “some disruption of traffic” in the area near the parking garage, police said.
Commander Peter Stevens in his statement said the London Police department planned to increase the presence of officers throughout the airport, which is among the busiest in Europe, for the remainder of the day.